Donald Trump is misusing his office to effectively promote the establishment of religion in the face of historical evidence that it is the opposite of freedom and equality before the law. It is true, he has not passed a law establishing religion (in the words of the Constitution), but he is providing a platform for the “religious right” to promote their religion, a first step.
Freedom of religion does not mean that one particular religious group has the right to impose their religion views on other people. If you research the speeches of James Talarico, who is a theological student and is running for Senate from Texas, you will find an excellent explanation of my point of view of why separation of church and state is good, not only for the state, but for true religion.
An April 22 article in the Recorder refers to John Winthrop, a puritan from Colonial Massachusetts, as an example of why the United States was “meant” to be Christian nation. John Winthrop was appointed to the tribunal that oversaw the Salem witch trials (1692-1693), which is an excellent example of why the Founding Fathers were so adamant about preventing the government from establishing a religious identity.
Now President Trump is going read a short section from the Bible to promote the view that Christianity should be the official religion of this country. I have heard many lay readers of the Bible in church, and many of them stumble over the language, particularly The Old Testament. It is to be hoped that the president is not one of them and was given a modern translation to read. Perhaps if he spent his Sundays in church instead of on his golf course he would be better prepared.
Judith Truesdell
Greenfield